American history is filled with episodes of African-Americans making contributions or gains and then experiencing systemic attacks to preserve white supremacy. This is the ebb and flow of the movement toward our potential as a country; highs and lows. After the Civil War and Reconstruction blacks were targets of terrorism by the newly formed Klu Klux Klan. Successful businesspeople and farmers were specific targets for jealous whites who were threatened by any black success. Black troops returning from World War I feeling that they deserved the rights of citizenship were attacked to ‘put them in their place’. African-American veterans returning from World War II were targeted by systemic racism working to maintain white supremacy leading to the Civil Rights movement. The election of the first African-American president led to the white supremacist birther movement and the election of Donald Trump. The ebbs and flows of the movement towards America’s potential continues. We live in difficult times where it is easy to see that the death of the American republic could happen. Participate in the flow toward justice and dignity for all people and vote in 2020!